Mr. LAU

Has anyone as RA booked an IC Hotel through FHR recently and received the extras from both programs?

I am not thinking about triple upgrades (Double-RA-Upgrade would be o.K.), but about the free breakfast and the extra FHR-amenity (and also obtaining the RA-extras like the free minibar...).

Thanks
Mr. LAU

MikeBOS

I do this all the time at IC LA and it works fine. Almost always get upgraded to an Executive Suite, which is pretty much the same upgrade under either program, but I get the amenities from both.

I book first through Amex, get the IC confirmation number, then add my PC/RA # on the IC web site. I haven't had a problem yet.

Mr. LAU

Thanks MikeBOS - sounds good and would be great if it worked!

Next question: Ever tried it in conjunction with a weekend-BOGO?

G-BOAC

Do the points post OK as if you'd booked it direct with pc.com too?

MikeBOS

Yep.

MattTaiwan

FHR rate only asking the room bill must be paid by AMEX Platinum or Centurion card, and in most of cases, the reservation(s) under FHR rate is process by AMEX Plat/Cent REP via GDS system.

In my experience, the FHR rate + frequent guest program's benefits all work as well. I never got a call from my clients to complain about two programs can not combine together. (maybe I am lucky)

FHR benefits included:

-upgrade to next room type (subject to hotel availability and contract room type)
-free continental breakfast up for two per room
-GTD late check-out to 4pm
-some special amenity, like free lunch/dinner for two, or spa treatment..depends on hotel offered

Biggie Fries

Sorry to dredge this thread up from almost ten years ago, but it came up when I Googled essentially the same question.

So I am new to IHG and also new to Ambassador status. I have a long stay coming up at IC Bordeaux where I cobbled together several different reservations and payment forms.

Both the first night and the last night are booked with FHR. In between there are a couple of points nights, and a four-night sequence booked through Citi Prestige.

To focus on the two bookend FHR nights. When I go onling at ihg.com, I can see that the reservations exist, but I cannot see anything about room type. For example, I'd like a king bed. Also, while I am not expecting any crazy double upgrade, am I correct in thinking that I should be guaranteed at least some upgrade in advance via the Ambassador status (since I know that FHR upgrades are technically subject to availability and thus hard to pin down in advance)?

Obviously what I am hoping for is to nail down my "entitlements," then see if they will subsume a good upgrade for the two points nights within the longer stay.

Any advice on how to initiate / monitor this is appreciated. Hyatt I know like the back of my hand, but IHG and Intercontinental are still strange lands to me.

moe8555

Unfortunately, I can't offer you any guidance relevant to this specific situation, but you might be wise to read through the Ambassador T&Cs once more.

Ambassadors are entitled to a single-category upgrade, whereas Royal Ambassadors are entitled to a double upgrade.

stargold

FHR is an eligible booking channel, so you will (or at least you should) receive the Amb 1-cat upgrade in exactly the same way as if you had made a paid booking through ihg.com. Ditto with the Citi Prestige 4th night free.

It seems to me that the best thing to do is send an e-mail to the hotel with a list of the different bookings, and discuss your requests and what they can provide.

Tim O'Brien

my experience has been you have to make the BOGO reservation standalone, on the BOGO rate, and they've never had me change room category, but if you get the amex beanies on the two nights, consider yourself lucky, some properties do it, some don't.

Tim O'Brien

i would research the IC Bordeaux thread, and also ambassador experiences, and Royal Ambassador experience threads.

you should get your ambassador upgrade, other issues like breakfast etc included in the FHR rate, which they usually are, are another issue, cld go either way, depends on the property. but do keep this in mind, if there is a F&B credit of $100, example, then you should absolutely get that twice, if you have the first night, and last night, with different confirmation numbers.

Biggie Fries

Thanks for the replies.

As suggested, I did write the hotel and they were quick in reply, saying that the one-stay on four consecutive reservations (FHR-points-Citi Prestige-FHR) was now noted.

Subsequently, the two "interior" reservations -- the ones whose details I can see on the IHG site -- went from the entry-level room (Superior?) to the next level up (Deluxe?) This would/should happen "naturally" as an Ambassador for the Citi Prestige-booked nights (although it had not happened until I wrote), but need not have happened -- at least not by my reading of T&C -- for the two points nights, so I already see myself as ahead there.

Now I can't see what I am in for the two FHR nights; but since the e-mail I got said we would be in same room across the whole stay, I am assuming that we did not get a "double upgrade" for those nights (one level for Ambassador, and another for FHR). But, as per previous paragraph, they are upgrading for the points nights, so on average it is as if we did get the double upgrade. At least that's what I am telling myself. As ever, hope springs eternal, and I have my fingers secretly crossed that on check in, when someone sees the FHR reservation, they'll kick the whole stay up another level. Hey, I can dream, right?

Btw, at IC Bordeaux the benefit is 85 euros for the spa, so I have asked my wife to time her life accordingly, just as we will at the Madrid hotel where you can't use the benefit for hairdresser but you can for martinis and tapas. You have to adjust in this life.

clubman

Always better to start a new thread rather than dredging up a 10 year old one like this, because you'll always have people reading and replying to posts not realising they are 10 years old!

You're no newbie to FT either I see ...

quitecontrary

I thought that the rules had changed and that you now had to make all bookings direct with IHG to get elite benefits and for nights to be counted for elite qualifying nights.